Kobe Bryant And Father Time

Kobe Bryant is tired. On most nights, he looks every bit the 19-year veteran.   In fact, he looks like you would expect someone who is top-10 in all-time NBA minutes played and top-3 in points scored to look at this stage in their career.

Kobe Bryant has a ton of mileage on his body and it is beginning to show.

One of the most disheartening sights for Lakers’ fans this year has been the site of Kobe coming up short time and time again as the game has been on the line. At times being more liability than savior.

We are all keenly aware of Father Time’s record. He has yet to lose and even an opponent as dedicated and competitive as Kobe Bryant won’t change this fact.

Many of Kobe’s struggles this year can be attributed to this battle.

He has openly admitted it is harder to get out of bed after games, that the pain lingers just a bit longer than in years past. It is no secret that he is rarely a full participant in practice. Getting Bryant ready for game day is a top priority within the organization.

It is game day, however, where the Lakers tend to compound the problem.

The debate about how to best use Kobe began from day one of the season. Was it best to limit his minutes, or limit his activity in order to preserve his legs and help prolong what time is left of his illustrious career? Or was it best to just let Kobe be Kobe and hope he could shoot the Lakers to as many victories as possible?

Two months into the season, it can be difficult to make an argument that any options is better in terms of producing wins. Quite frankly, the team has struggled regardless of the approach.

What can’t be argued, however, is that Bryant can’t continue at his current pace.

Kobe Bryant now leads the Lakers in minutes at just over 35 per game, while also leading the team is shots at just over 22 a night. No other member of the Lakers clock in at more than 30 minutes and no one attempts more than 12 shots. It is simply not realistic to expect that any player 19 years into their career can play such a heavy schedule with such a high usage rate and not see a dip in performance.

To Bryant’s credit, the productivity is there more often than not. The efficiency, however, has suffered.

The initial belief was that Bryant’s efficiency would improve as he knocked off the rust. In many ways, this has been correct. This has often been negated, however, by the fact he simply doesn’t have enough gas in the tank on most nights to sustain that efficiency.

Dec 15, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (8) walks up the floor in a game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana Pacers defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 110-91. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Coach Byron Scott has openly discussed the idea of sitting Bryant at times (an approach that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has famously used with his stars). Unfortunately, sitting out the occasional game might not offer much relief if Bryant continues to play such heavy minutes and burden such a high percentage of the offense when he does play.

To be clear, this is not simply the fault of a coaching staff throwing Bryant to the wolves with little to no care for his health. Much of the blame can actually be placed at the feet of Kobe Bryant as well.

Some of Bryant’s biggest strengths can often be some of his biggest weaknesses.

Kobe Bryant is extremely competitive, confident and he possesses a very dominant personality. That competitiveness makes him want to prove that he play at the same high level expected of him 4 or 5 years ago, while his confidence leads him to believe he will.

It can be very difficult, if not impossible, for someone like this to say they need to scale things back. If given the option of falling back, or trying to push through that brick wall, Bryant is going to push through.

At the same time, it can be just as difficult for others to tell someone who is such a dominant, confident personality that their approach may be wrong.

This problem is all compounded by the fact that the West is full of extremely talented players in the backcourt. As head of the old guard, Bryant is in no hurry to pass the torch over to players such as Klay Thompson or James Harden just yet.

Coach Scott has often served as a mentor for Bryant over the years. It may be necessary for him to draw on that respect he has earned from Bryant to tell him it is time to accept his current limitations. The idea of sitting Bryant at times is a good one. But not nearly as effective if Bryant continues to play 35 or more minutes a game.

People have called on Bryant to shoot less for years. He has yet to succumb to those demands and, at this stage, it isn’t likely he is going to drastically change who he is as a player.

If Scott can sit him more minutes and rest him for longer periods of the season, Bryant should struggle less at the end of games. It may not result is many more wins, but it may just allow Bryant to last long enough to see the Lakers return from the depths of the Western Conference before his career comes to a close.